It's a paper move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Richards opted for season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier this month and appears likely to miss all or most of 2019, as well. He's set to become a free agent this offseason. Jul 31 - 11:04 AM

It's the worst possible outcome, though it was probably inevitable after an MRI revealed UCL damage in Richards' right elbow. The injury will sideline him for the remainder of this year and all of next season as well. Richards will finish the 2018 campaign with a 3.66 ERA and 87 strikeouts over 76 1/3 innings. With his health up in the air, the 30-year-old will probably see a quiet free agent market this winter. Jul 12 - 7:40 PM

An MRI taken Wednesday revealed that Garrett Richards has a damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Very often, an injury to the UCL requires a player to undergo Tommy John surgery. If Richards were to have that reconstructive elbow procedure, he'd miss the rest of the 2018 season and most of the 2019 campaign. That decision hasn't been made yet, however, as the impending free agent right-hander is currently being presented with different options. Injuries have been a problem for Richards in his career, but he's pitched well when healthy, including a 3.42 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 73 2/3 innings this season. Jul 11 - 7:41 PM

Depth Charts

Angels' manager Mike Scioscia admitted that he's not optimistic about the chances of David Fletcher (hamstring) returning this season.

Fletcher suffered a left hamstring strain during Sunday's game against the Mariners. He'll be evaluated on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, but given that there are only two weeks left in the season, his chances of returning appear to be slim. Kaleb Cowart should see additional time at second base while he's out.

Shohei Ohtani was announced on Monday as the winner of the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year award.

Ohtani wound up easily topping Miguel Andujar, who had a fantastic rookie campaign in his own right. He just couldn't match up with Ohtani's historic dual-threat season, even though it was a bit abbreviated. Ohtani posted a 3.31 ERA and 63/22 K/BB ratio over 51 2/3 innings across 10 starts for the Angels while also batting .285/.361/.564 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI.

Ty Buttrey has been shut down for the remainder of the season due to a recurrence of right knee bursitis.

Buttrey briefly held a share of the Angels' closer role this month, but he got lit up in his last two appearances and now his 2018 has come to a premature conclusion. The 25-year-old right-hander should have a prominent spot in the Angels' bullpen leading into the 2019 season. Hansel Robles and Jim Johnson have earned the last two saves for Anaheim, with Blake Parker working more as a setup man recently.

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